Summary of the LDA’s involvement in the European Cities Against Child Poverty network, led by GLE

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London Councils is a policy and lobbying organisation that promotes the interests of London's 33 local authorities. It also runs a number of pan-London services, including a range of housing, consumer protection and other services, and distributes nearly £28 million in grants each year to voluntary groups in London.

London Councils is a cross-party organisation, funded and run by its member authorities to work on behalf of them all, regardless of political persuasion. Much of its work consists of lobbying the government and others on behalf of the member councils and developing policy, in order to help local government in London to improve the services which it delivers.

As regards tackling child poverty, London Councils has worked with the London Boroughs and the London Child Poverty Commission to discuss how local authorities can do more to tackle child poverty through their work at a local level and formalise this in their Local Area Agreements. Its approach focuses on a range of areas which correspond closely to the five research themes of the European Cities Against Child Poverty network. These include: increasing parental employment in sustainable jobs; expanding the housing choices available to low-income families; and reducing attainment gaps for children and young people.

London Councils is involved in the European Cities Against Child Poverty network as a funder and also plays an important advisory role. London Councils representatives and policy experts contribute to the network’s policy workshops and discussions, in order to exchange knowledge about how London and other cities work to reduce child poverty. In particular London Councils hopes to learn more about how child poverty is tackled by local and regional actors elsewhere.